Unity father arrested after allegedly punching son in head

UNITY, Maine — A father accused of punching his teenage son in the head before he boarded a school bus Monday morning was arrested on a charge of domestic violence assault.

Leslie Bates, 49, of Unity reportedly told his son to do something and hit him when he didn’t do it fast enough, according to Chief Deputy Jeff Trafton of the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office.

Right after the alleged assault, the boy boarded the bus and went to class at the Waldo County Technical Center in Waldo. A teacher there took him to the emergency room at Waldo County General Hospital, and he was treated and released. A hospital employee called police to report the injury, Trafton said Tuesday.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services was notified and the son’s mother, who lives in another state, picked him up, according to the chief deputy.

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Bates was taken to Waldo County Jail in Belfast on Monday evening and has been released on $100 unsecured cash bail.